World: NSA Prepares for Change in Phone Record Policy

Last summer, the National Security Agency (NSA) stated that its analysts will no longer be permitted to search a database that holds five years of Americans’ domestic calling records after November 29th. This database, which holds call-data used to analyze links between callers in search of terrorism suspects, dates back to October 2001 and was leaked by former NSA. contractor Edward J. Snowden in June 2013. The enactment of the Freedom Act in June has barred the NSA from collecting Americans’ calling records after 180 days. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a statement that NSA analysts will lose access to the old database after the November deadline, but that NSA technicians would still be able to view historical records for an additional three months in order to compare the data to the calling records produced under the new system. The NSA plans to purge the records, but it must wait for a resolution to lawsuits that challenge the program.